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Zappos Blogs: healthy lifestyle

Getting back into a fitness routine can be almost as challenging as getting your car started in the midst of a polar vortex. With the recent holiday festivities and a good chunk of the country in the grasp of a record-breaking winter freeze, it may seem like the universe is conspiring to keep you on your couch! But don’t let weather, procrastination or just plain old lack of motivation keep you from your ultimate fitness goals this year. It’s time to zip up those track jackets and lace up those running shoes and keep your eye on the prize!

You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle! Adding some quick and easy exercises to your daily routine can work wonders and produce noticeable results! Take a few minutes out of your day and try these simple stretches right at your desk. Your tired neck, back and wrists will thank you!

It’s that time of year again, when we all look back on our not-so-healthy choices (i.e. all those Christmas cookies and cocktails…) over the holidays and realize that swimsuit season isn’t all that far on the horizon. But don’t panic! A new year means a clean slate—a chance to get back on the right track towards a healthier lifestyle. Remember, it’s never about being perfect, it’s about setting measurable and realistic goals that add up over time!

Below are a few of our fitness picks to kick off a healthy new year ahead:

You’ve probably heard of all the great benefits of juicing as a way of consuming fresh, raw foods in your daily diet. Sounds simple enough, right? Extract all the nutrients inside fruits and vegetables, drink them and reap the health benefits. But selecting the right kind of juicer can be a bit tricky for the juicing novice.

We’ve broken down three of the most common types of juicers on the market to find the one that works best for you:

Centrifugal Juicers: This is generally the most affordable kind of juicer and therefore the most popular type on the market. They’re great for juicing most fruits and vegetables quickly and efficiently. However, they’re not as effective at yielding high volumes of juice from grassy and leafy plants such as wheatgrass, spinach, lettuce and other greens.

Centrifugal juicers usually have large feeding chutes allowing you to take the whole or half the fruit without the need for cutting them into smaller pieces.

The juice from these types of juicers typically has a very short shelf life and should be consumed right away to get the most nutritional value.

Masticating Juicers: Also known as single-gear juicer, this breaks up the plant cells resulting in more fiber, enzymes and trace mineral yields. These are generally more efficient than Centrifugal juicers in extracting more juice (i.e. the pulp comes out drier), and are great at juicing greens/leafy vegetables. However, they are more expensive than centrifugal juicers.

These operate at lower RPMs (rotations per minute), meaning there’s less foam and heat conducted, increasing the shelf life and nutrition yield per serving. Masticating juicers are also more versatile since they can homogenize foods to make sauces, baby food, ice cream, sorbets, nut butters, etc.

Citrus Presses: An electric citrus press works similarly to manual ones but more quickly and yields more juice per fruit. Some of the benefits of fresh-squeezed citrus juice versus the store-bought kind are: a fresher taste, fewer or no additives and preservatives, and more nutrient integrity. Remember, as soon as the juice hits the air, oxygenation begins to degrade the nutrient content. That’s why treating yourself to fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice every day with a balanced breakfast is by far the healthier option!

Living a healthy lifestyle is just that…a lifestyle. There’s no reason why your healthy routine should end with the summertime. With the kids heading back to school and your schedule getting more hectic, it’s more important than ever to claim your “me time”.

Go for a relaxing jog, a brisk walk or head back to the gym to try that new cardio class. Grab a pair of new Skechers and go!

Now that the dust has settled, those hearty holiday meals have been put away, and all those gingerbread cookies have been consumed, it’s time to get back on track with healthy habits for the New Year.

Treating yourself to brand new workout gear is a great way to kick off those fitness resolutions. It’s a fresh new year and we all get a fresh new start. Whether it's getting back into yoga, walking the dog daily, or finally trying out that new Barre class your girlfriends have been raving about, make 2012 the year to get back on track with your fitness goals!

It seems like every five seconds we’re inundated by commercials and pop up ads promising the ultimate secret to a thinner, leaner, healthier you. “Lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes!”, “Eat cookies, lose weight!”…the promises go on and on.

Being healthy for the long haul really takes lifestyle changes. They don’t always have to be drastic ones either; there are lots of small yet impactful habits that you can incorporate into your life that will help you on your goal to becoming healthier. Here are just a few simple ones to try:

1.Walk the walk: Don’t take shortcuts; take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther in the parking lot, take a brisk 30-minute walk in the evenings. Got a dog? Make the most of those daily walks by adding ankle weights and wearing performance walking shoes with specialized outsoles to work more key muscles. Ones to try are Skechers Shape Ups, Reebok EasyTone and Ecco Performance Tao.

2.Drink lots of water: This one may seem obvious, but a lot of people don’t drink enough water. Try breaking up your day in segments: wake up time to noon, noon to 4 p.m., 4 p.m. to bedtime; aim for three 8-ounce glasses per time segment to get the optimum hydration. Water is also the ultimate detoxifier and is essential in every bodily function.

3.Don’t skip breakfast: They don’t call it “the most important meal of the day” for nothing! Nearly 40 percent of women admit to skipping breakfast. This can cause you to make poor lunch choices and wreak havoc on your metabolism. Opt for fiber-rich, protein-rich options like granola bar with nuts, peanut butter and banana, nonfat Greek yogurt or a low-sugar ceral. Soy or almond milk are also great breakfast drinks if you’re in a hurry.

4.Get your zzzs!: Sleep is a very essential part of a healthy, balanced life. While there is no real “magic number” to how many hours of sleep each individual needs, on average, a normal adult needs anywhere from 7-9 hours of restful sleep every night. Creating a relaxing nighttime ritual like a candlelit bath, soothing music or meditation before bedtime will help ease your mind and body into sleep mode.

5.Snack healthy: Keep healthy options such as fresh fruit, nuts, and low-fat yogurt close at hand. Almonds are also a great way to fill you up in between meals. They’re high in protein and low in saturated fat, plus they’re easy to stow in your bag for on-the-go snacking.

We all know the great benefits of regular cardio workout, but sometimes, the treadmill can be a real drag. A great way to switch up your cardio routine is through swimming. Not only is it a great way to burn some serious calories (up to 400 calories in one 30 minute breaststroke session), but there’s no impact on your joints, so it’s a great workout to supplement more high imapct cardio activities like running.

For swimming laps, we recommend a good one-piece swimsuit , like the ingenious Spanx Chic Deep V Trim One Piece. This not only offers maximum shape control, it offers comfortable style that moves with you. It offers the tummy control compression that Spanx is known for, so it’s equally as great at the beach or just lounging by the pool.